LWGP - Chapter 235
Chapter 235: A Clean Slate
Wang Jiu began to use the explorer frequently, even extending her session for three hours. Such intensive use was an extreme drain on her mental power. Even with her now-vast reserves, she found it hard to bear, but she ended the session the moment the three hours were up.
The stack of data notebooks before her was already thick.
Wang Jiu pressed her fingers to her temples a couple of times and asked the System, "On a single planet, if the spatial elemental bodies in all four regions—east, south, west, and north—are continuously and wildly surging, what does that mean?"
System: "In principle, that's impossible. If it were just a surge in the east while the other three regions shrank, it might mean some hidden secret or creature in the east is devouring them. But if all of them are increasing, elemental energy doesn't just appear out of thin air. It would have to be drawing from the universe or from the planet's deep subterranean potential resources. But no matter which it is, it's an act that destroys balance."
In other words, something big was about to happen on Desolate Ridge Star.
Of course, Wang Jiu didn't care if the planet's future was one of destruction. What she cared about was a certain Bloodthirsty Beast on it.
There were now two problems.
1. The planet's instability would make her journey there more dangerous, as it was already an unclaimed, hazardous zone.
2. The current anomaly would likely be investigated by the monitoring departments of the three empires. The Imperial Academy's explorers were for faculty and student use, but professional departments were constantly observing the universe's changes, much like certain departments back on Earth.
Therefore, the three empires would definitely send people to Desolate Ridge Star soon.
More people… would make the situation harder to control.
System: "You're planning to go to Desolate Ridge Star?"
Wang Jiu: "I'm short a mecha and a starship."
System: "That's simple. Just buy them. But you'll need good ones."
Facing the potential dangers from the three empires and Desolate Ridge Star, Wang Jiu's current strength was not enough. Moreover, to travel such a great distance, an ordinary starship wouldn't suffice.
Wang Jiu: "No need to buy. There are ready-made ones."
The System was stunned, thinking to itself, This woman isn't really going to bankrupt a minor, is she?
There was no need to feign it; Wang Jiu had genuinely exhausted her mental power, her face pale and weary.
The door opened. As soon as Wang Jiu stepped out, she saw someone sitting on the sofa in the hall, flipping through a book.
It could have been a chance encounter, or it could have been… that the other person was waiting for her specifically.
When Saling saw her emerge, she put down her book, stood up, and walked over. Wang Jiu had assumed she had used her authority to find something out and was here to question her, but all she said was, "Are you going to the auction house?"
This person's authority was even higher than the Young Prince's. Wang Jiu was naturally willing to go, as she needed to buy a Purple Gold Mecha for Qing He.
There was still some time before the auction, so Wang Jiu and Saling went to the auction house's restaurant for a meal. They had just sat down, not even having ordered yet, when they ran into two people.
They were a striking pair: one was Suo Nu, and the other was a young man who bore a slight resemblance to her.
Judging by their clan emblems, they were probably cousins.
The man was exceptionally pleased to see Saling and tactfully and carefully suggested they dine together. Saling wasn't particularly willing, but considering the man's status, she turned to look at Wang Jiu. Wang Jiu had no objections.
And so, the four of them sat down together.
Although Suo Nu had seemingly tried to kill her before, both Saling and Suo Nu thought Wang Jiu would be somewhat uncomfortable. To their surprise, Wang Jiu's attitude was very calm. She even spoke little, focusing on her meal the entire time. It was Suo Nu's brother, Earl Ling Guang, who kept trying to strike up a conversation with Saling.
He commented on how most of the dishes were for restoring mental power, asked if she had been working too hard recently, and whether she was tired from protecting the Young Prince a while back.
Sensing that Saling wasn't very interested in these topics, Earl Ling Guang switched subjects frequently. Eventually, he casually mentioned how happy his family was that Suo Nu had returned from the White Witch ruins at the Divine Temple…
"The White Witch ruins at the Divine Temple?"
Saling's interest wasn't piqued, but Lao Wang's was.
Both Saling and Suo Nu looked at her. The latter gave a faint smile. "Is Miss Ma Lisu curious?"
"Yes. I was unlucky enough to provoke a black one, so I'm curious what a white one is like."
The System felt that this woman was a natural-born liar.
You've never seen a white one?
Suo Nu put down her chopsticks. Today, she wore a sleeveless, form-fitting long dress, looking elegant and charming, her smile perfectly measured.
"Since the Primordial Spirit era, witchcraft has been the greatest Dao. Initially, there was no distinction between black and white. It was only after the emergence of the Black Witches that the term White Witch came to be."
Wang Jiu seemed thoughtful. "So, the Black Witches don't represent a complete Dao? Their highest level is only Spirit King?"
Suo Nu: "No, the Black Witches created their own separate Dao. Legend says the ancestor of the Black Witches was dissatisfied with the founder of the Witch Dao, so he defected and created the path of the Black Witch, which focuses on sacrificing flesh, blood, and lives. It's completely different from the path of the White Witch. So, in a sense, the Witch Dao has two Spirit Emperors."
Two?
"Are both of them in our spacetime?" Wang Jiu asked.
Suo Nu glanced at Wang Jiu but didn't speak. Instead, Saling said coolly, "Whether they are or not, who in later generations would dare say? But the White Witches left behind some ruins, and the Divine Temple where Suo Nu was is one of them."
The Divine Temple, huh. It seemed the members of that Black Witch Organization on Earth also called themselves the Divine Temple or the Divine Altar.
A cultural and historical lineage?
Wang Jiu: "No wonder Lady Suo Nu is so formidable."
Suo Nu's eyes held a smile. "You are also very formidable."
Neither of their smiles reached their eyes.
After the meal, Wang Jiu and Saling headed to the auction hall, while Suo Nu and Earl Ling Guang remained behind. The latter's enthusiastic suitor persona had vanished, replaced by a cautious and serious demeanor. "Is this Ma Lisu the one who's been getting close to the Prince?"
Suo Nu: "The Prince isn't the point."
Earl Ling Guang: "Saling?"
He had pursued Saling for years, but she had never given him the time of day. Yet today, she had brought this Ma Lisu to the auction. She was probably being considerate of his status, which was why she was a bit more amicable, likely worried about affecting Ma Lisu.
How to put it… Earl Ling Guang felt a bit strange.
He was from a great noble family. It was one thing for Saling to be outstanding on her own, but to be shown favor because of an outsider woman… Earl Ling Guang's pride was a little bruised, so he had no favorable impression of Wang Jiu.
"It's not Saling." Suo Nu frowned but didn't elaborate. In her eyes, Earl Ling Guang, a successful businessman widely recognized by the empire, was not yet on her level to discuss such topics.
Getting close to the Prince was equivalent to getting close to the Emperor.
Normally, it wouldn't matter if it were just an ordinary woman. The emperor of the empire was supposed to have women.
But… this Ma Lisu was too complicated.
A visitor from another spacetime who managed to survive the spacetime tunnel. This indicated she wasn't too strong, not to the level where the tunnel would absolutely obliterate her. Yet, she had also survived being devoured by the Black Witch Spirit King, and her body hadn't disintegrated.
This was a contradiction. The only explanation that wasn't contradictory was that this Ma Lisu's strength had skyrocketed in a short period, likely increasing by more than a hundred thousand attribute points.
And it had been less than a month.
Right, which spacetime was she from? The second spacetime had some time to develop, but it had already been defeated and destroyed. Could she be an escapee?
If she was from the third spacetime, that one seemed very primitive. According to the monitoring data from the Spacetime Bureau, it had only been loaded for a little over a month.
However, if she could think of these things, His Majesty must have thought of them too. Yet he hadn't met this Ma Lisu. One could only wonder what his thoughts were.
Wang Jiu had no idea that the empire's number one beauty had so many thoughts running through her head. She was already participating in the auction.
The fourth spacetime had a wealth of resources, but she was just browsing. It was only when the Purple Gold Mecha came up for auction that she got serious. She started a video call with Qing He, letting her watch and choose for herself.
Qing He was decisive and quickly picked the one she wanted, asking Wang Jiu to help her bid for it.
Wang Jiu: "Your budget."
Qing He: "Within fifty million."
Oh ho, a rich woman!
Wang Jiu once again had a clear judgment of this person's financial power and began bidding for Qing He.
Saling didn't particularly want anything. The resources she needed were supplied by the empire; she could have whatever she wanted. But the Purple Gold Mecha Wang Jiu was bidding on was of a rather high specification.
"You like this one?" Saling couldn't help but ask.
Wang Jiu: "Yeah. What, you think I'm not worthy?"
Saling: "It should be a good fit for a water-attribute arcanist. Don't you use a sword?"
Wang Jiu: "Probably because my inner self is as gentle as water."
Saling: "…"
After taking a sip of water, Saling added, "The final auction price for this one should be quite high."
Wang Jiu: "Want to lend me money?"
She was joking, but Saling actually hummed in agreement. Seeing Wang Jiu's thoughtful look, she frowned and said coolly, "But it seems you have plenty of money, so you probably don't need it."
Wang Jiu smiled, her words carrying a hidden meaning. "Perhaps I have a lot of suckers who've been swindled by me for their money and bodies."
Saling initially thought she was teasing their empire's Young Prince, but she quickly realized—she, the great Imperial Chief Medical Officer, had also just willingly offered to lend the woman money.
Sucker No. 2?
She fell silent. Wang Jiu didn't say much more and soon successfully won the mecha with a bid of 42 million.
Saling was surprised to see her make no further bids. "You're not buying a starship?"
Several starships had just passed by.
Seeing Wang Jiu's expression, Saling explained, "You used the explorer for so long. It's probably related to saving your relatives, right? If you need to go to those places, a starship is necessary."
"But it's fine if you don't buy one. You can borrow one from someone."
Her tone was flat, and she didn't offer to lend her own. But Wang Jiu, crossing her legs and holding a water glass, said softly, "Thank you, but not for now. When I need one, someone will naturally give it to me."
Who? The Young Prince? Has she cultivated another sucker in private?
Saling didn't ask. She watched as the auction items went by one by one. Wang Jiu had indeed lost interest, until one particular item was brought out.
A calendar from the Primordial Spirit era.
It was considered an antique, but the auctioneer mentioned that this calendar primarily recorded the history of the Witch Dao.
Wang Jiu leaned back in her chair, a murky light in her eyes.
It was waking up.
It seemed very interested in this calendar.
Many people were competing for it. Even a scholar like Saling bid twice. When the price was pushed to twelve million gold, it began to level off. Just as it was about to be settled…
Wang Jiu made a bid: fifteen million.
Saling turned to look at her.
Qing He, who hadn't hung up the video call, was also a little surprised.
"Fifteen million, fifteen million, is there anyone else…"
"16 million."
A private box raised its paddle.
Wang Jiu glanced towards that box.
"17 million."
"18 million."
"20 million."
This price was already far beyond its value. Its collection value was only around eight or nine million. Pushing it to 12 million at auction was the absolute limit. Raising it to this price now meant either Wang Jiu was a shill, or the other party was.
Saling subconsciously suspected it was Earl Ling Guang targeting Wang Jiu again.
But… it was also possible that Suo Nu was interested.
After Wang Jiu bid twenty million, the other party fell silent and made no further bids. She successfully acquired the Primordial Spirit Calendar.
"You're that interested in witches?" Saling was a little curious.
"To improve my cultural literacy. Pretend to be a person of culture."
"Hah."
After collecting their items, as Wang Jiu and Saling were leaving the private box, they ran into Suo Nu and her companion. Suo Nu smiled at Wang Jiu and extended her hand. "Congratulations."
So it was her who wanted to buy it.
Wang Jiu smiled and shook her hand. "The pleasure is all mine."
Suo Nu narrowed her eyes. After withdrawing her hand, she watched the two of them leave.
Earl Ling Guang stood beside her, his expression veiled. "Was she just mocking us? Did she think you were deliberately raising the price to let me make money? She's certainly not polite. By the way, did you want that calendar? You should have told me earlier, I would have intercepted it for you."
"No need. I wasn't particularly interested."
Suo Nu turned and walked away. Earl Ling Guang watched her back, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Xingyun escaped?" On the road, riding in Saling's hovercar, Wang Jiu saw the news report on an external screen.
"Yes. He was as good as caught, but a group of people popped out of nowhere and snatched him away. His current whereabouts are unknown."
Wang Jiu narrowed her eyes. "From the other two empires?"
Saling was used to Wang Jiu's perceptiveness. "Yes, their covert forces. But he escaped, so he escaped. It's not a big deal."
Wang Jiu raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly.
This emperor was quite venomous.
He probably wanted to use Prince Xingyun as a pretext to declare war on a certain empire.
He deliberately fattened up Xingyun, indulging his crimes, from assassinating the Young Prince to attacking the medical facility to breaking out of prison, and finally being rescued by another empire. Now, within the Xingyao Empire, he was tantamount to a traitor. Even rebellion was no longer an option for him; he could only collude with other empires for an invasion.
And domestically, those who were secretly dissatisfied with the emperor's rule and had allied with Xingyun had already revealed some clues in their attempts to rescue him. By seizing these threads, he could eliminate many people and consolidate 100% of the royal power into his hands.
The news reported that countless bureaucrats and noble families had been purged.
"In your spacetime, once an empire is established, the connections seem very tight. The probability of defection is very low, isn't it? You can't just quit the nation and teleport somewhere else?"
Saling: "You can quit, but you can't use any form of teleportation for three years, not even following someone. Being expelled from the nation or being judged a criminal by the empire results in the same consequence, with even longer time limits depending on the crime."
So the highest level of this territory system is that impressive.
No wonder the central government back home was in such a hurry to establish a nation.
"No wonder Xingyun could only travel by starship and couldn't teleport directly to another empire."
"Your emperor is very formidable."
Saling was quite sensitive about this and gave Wang Jiu a subtle glance. "He is very formidable. He has no interest in women, is cold and decisive, ruthless and merciless."
Wang Jiu: "…"
I have no intention of seducing your emperor. I don't have the heart for it, nor am I that overconfident. You really don't need to rush to speak ill of him.
Soon, Wang Jiu would learn that Saling wasn't speaking ill of him; it was the truth.
Before the car even reached the medical facility, it was stopped.
People from the royal palace.
Saling's expression grew grave. Wang Jiu's fingers also paused, brushing a strand of hair that had fallen beside her ear.
She had been eager to leave the Xingyao Empire precisely to avoid this emperor. She hadn't expected him to summon her after all.
How strong was this emperor?
The internet said his attributes were over a million… Could she withstand his insight?
Once her Black Witch profession was seen through, the fact that she had devoured the Black Witch Mo Ya might be impossible to hide.
The royal palace was magnificent, but Wang Jiu was led to a study.
The emperor's office, one might say.
Oh ho, so many books. The emperor was quite cultured?
Wang Jiu stood before the desk. The palace attendant bowed and retreated, gently sliding the door shut.
Emperor Xing Yao hadn't summoned her to torture her, so he didn't make Wang Jiu wait for long. He paused his writing and looked up at her.
With that one glance, Wang Jiu felt as if her entire body had been seen through, as if her clothes had been stripped away.
But strangely, she had predicted that as a powerhouse with over a million in attributes, he would exert a terrifying suppressive effect on her. Yet, there was none.
It was very ordinary, as if she were facing a normal person.
However, that was all the more terrifying.
Xing Yao withdrew his gaze, pointed to the chair in front of his desk, and said, "Please, sit."
The chair moved out on its own. Wang Jiu sat down and didn't speak, waiting for the emperor to begin.
"Inter-spacetime travel, is it fun?" he asked.
Wang Jiu: "Not fun, but it's an eye-opener."
Xing Yao: "Was the Black Witch Spirit King's soul tasty?"
He saw through it? Oh, I almost forgot. His bloodline talent is hereditary.
Even with my greatly increased mental power…
Wang Jiu: "It was passive. I felt a bit forced, which affected the flavor."
Xing Yao tapped his pen on a notebook. "Then I've troubled you. What are your plans now? Are you willing to wait for my son to grow up and become my daughter-in-law?"
Well, the emperor's angle was certainly unique.
Wang Jiu smiled. "I'm afraid I can't wait that long. I'm getting old, and my reputation isn't great. I need to find an honest man to take me off the market soon."
One dared to ask, the other dared to answer.
Xing Yao hummed in acknowledgment. "What a pity. I thought I could find a child bride with good aptitude to keep him in line. I didn't expect he wouldn't even qualify for the 'honest' label."
It was hard to tell if the man was insulting his son or her.
Or perhaps both at once.
Wang Jiu spoke up for Sucker No. 1 with some tact. "Actually, His Highness is a very nice person."
Xing Yao seemed thoughtful. "How about you wait a few more years?"
Is this some kind of imperial power play?
System: This is like a matchmaking-crazed parent at a park, desperate to find a partner for their son.
Wang Jiu: "I think I'll pass."
Xing Yao: "…"
I call my son a dog, but you're actually taking me seriously and looking down on him.
This woman is truly both hypocritical and frank.
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold, like a mismatched blind date with nothing left to say.
Fortunately, the emperor's time was precious, and he had no intention of wasting it. He got straight to the point. "You've made quite a bit from reselling, haven't you?"
Those words were absolutely terrifying.
Wang Jiu was as steady as a mountain, replying smoothly, "It's alright. Just enough to buy two books here. The prices are a bit high. Your Majesty might want to look into it."
Wang Jiu didn't forget to throw some shade at a certain grand duke's nephew.
"Understood. I'll look into it. So, will you continue doing it?"
Wang Jiu pondered his objective. Either he didn't want her to transfer mechas to other spacetimes, or… the opposite?
If he wanted her to continue, then his goal was the same as Prince Xingyun's.
This was the main reason he had sought her out today.
She relaxed slightly inside. So that's how it is.
"If Your Majesty thinks it's a good business, and if I'm not short on money."
"If you're willing, you won't be short on money."
Their eyes met, and a tacit understanding was formed.
Xing Yao handed her a contract—a legendary-grade contract template item.
The move was dazzling.
The details were all listed. Wang Jiu read it carefully and formed an accurate judgment of this emperor.
He was domineering, but he knew his limits. He set the terms perfectly, making it impossible for her to refuse.
Because he didn't like to waste time, and negotiations were a drain on energy and time.
After signing the agreement, Wang Jiu put down the pen and said, "Your Majesty is a good emperor."
Xing Yao didn't even bat an eyelid, saying coolly, "Xingyun must have proposed this business to you as well. Did you praise him too?"
"That's different." Wang Jiu stood up, a faint smile on her lips. "First, he wanted too much, and I wasn't willing to give it. Second, Your Majesty is preparing for a rainy day and doesn't mind other spacetimes growing stronger, because all spacetimes share a common enemy: the Eternal Night Race. Of course, the most important point is…"
The moment Wang Jiu mentioned "preparing for a rainy day," Xing Yao looked up at her, seeing the woman who wanted to find an honest man to settle down with, her face blooming into a smile.
"You are an emperor. He is not."
It wasn't meant to please, but it undoubtedly pleased him.
Wang Jiu instantly received a huge sum of purple gold: one billion gold coins.
The first investment.
Wang Jiu was silent for a moment. As she reached the door and grasped the handle, she suddenly turned back to ask Xing Yao, "Your Majesty, I suddenly feel your son is worth waiting a few years for. After all, the family fortune is substantial."
I'll accept him no matter how much of a fool he is. After all, I can just wait for his dad to kick the bucket and then run off with the money.
Before Xing Yao could reply, he saw the master-class gold digger give a low laugh and leave.
Back at the medical facility, Wang Jiu had gotten used to living there, freeloading and sleeping as if she were being kept by a certain high-ranking, incredibly wealthy Chief Medical Officer.
She had just been upgraded from a patient's room to a private little villa.
Lying on the bed, Wang Jiu had just traded the Purple Gold Mecha she bought and a batch of other mechas to Qing He, but the latter rejected the Purple Gold Mecha.
Qing He: "You keep it for now. Give it to me when you return."
She knew Wang Jiu hadn't bought one for herself, and she had heard the conversation between her and Saling at the auction house. How to put it… this Saling was quite good to Wang Jiu, yet Wang Jiu still concealed her true profession and attributes from her. This showed that the environment in the fourth spacetime was not friendly to Wang Jiu, to the point where she had to hide it.
Factoring in the need to save the Old Lady, things were even more troublesome.
Without a mecha for protection, her life would be at risk.
However, Wang Jiu put the Purple Gold Mecha back up for trade. "While I appreciate it, I have something to say that you might not like to hear."
Qing He: "Then you don't have to say it."
Wang Jiu: "The only reason I didn't buy a Purple Gold Mecha is that I feel it's not worthy of me. I have something better."
Qing He: "…"
Fine, private chat over.
After ending the chat, Wang Jiu looked at the Mecha Warrior lying in her inventory.
All those days of studying and devouring Mo Ya weren't just for piloting some Purple Gold Mecha.
What she had always wanted was a mecha of the Eternal Night Race.
Saling had been wondering who Wang Jiu would borrow a starship from. But seeing her emerge from the royal palace safe and sound, she began to suspect it would be the emperor.
But she found it incredible.
Having known him for years, she had some understanding of her senior and former comrade-in-arms.
He truly had no interest in women and was ruthless and merciless.
This Ma Lisu hadn't activated some cheat code, so it couldn't be…
Saling would never have guessed that that very night, Wang Jiu would use a teleportation scroll to arrive in the capital of an enemy nation, teleporting directly into Prince Xingyun's bathroom.
Xingyun was in the middle of a bath and was nearly scared to death. But just as he was about to attack, his skills were instantly disabled, and his armor was broken!
Impossible! Even with buffs, her attributes were only around three hundred thousand. How could she break the armor of someone with five hundred thousand attributes after just a few days?
Unless… she was wearing a mecha!
What kind of mecha could boost her attributes by 200,000? That was an amplification ratio of nearly 60%. A legendary-grade mecha?
Impossible. Those were only in the hands of the empire's supreme ruler and a very small number of core combatants. Even the one he used was only half-legendary!
In his shock, Xingyun failed to break free of Wang Jiu's restraints in time. And then… Wang Jiu unleashed her mental power directly.
Devouring Mo Ya didn't just increase her mental power.
It also gave her the Black Witch Spirit King's ancient method of using soul power—devouring.
With well-applied mental power, devouring wasn't possible, but an impact was!
A full-force impact instantly and severely damaged Xingyun's mental power, and his HP was wiped out in a flash.
Before he died, he couldn't understand how Wang Jiu had found him and teleported to him in an instant.
Did such a fixed-point teleportation talisman exist?
Could it be that the people of the Heiyan Empire had sold him out?
But Wang Jiu's face also turned deathly pale, a throbbing pain shooting through her head.
"This technique is powerful, but it's really hard to use. It's like the Seven-Injuries Fist."
But its advantage was that it was clean and left no loose ends.
A terrifying inheritance had already arrived in her mailbox.
There were tens of thousands of letters alone.
Now, she had a top-tier imperial starship and the massive inheritance of the empire's sole prince.
In the hazy steam of the bathroom, a drenched Wang Jiu coldly watched as Xingyun's body gradually disappeared. She reached out her hand. A severed finger that had been climbing up from under the washstand crawled into her palm and burned to ash. Amidst the steam and flames, she smiled faintly.
Back then, Xingyun wasn't the only one in the Sky Prison.
That day, she had controlled a part of her Spirit Body to enter the Sky Prison, keeping the person who had tormented her for days company.
Don't ask why. Just say she was a good person.
First, repay grievance with virtue, then wipe the slate clean.
Because all she wanted was to get rich overnight.
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